Light & joy

This week we lighted the candle of joy. My heart hasn't feeling any joy lately as I'm still processing the horrific stories of rape and suffering in Rwanda and the DRC. How can I feel joy, knowing of all the women suffering there and in the rest of the world? Then God reminded me that it was exactly into such a world that He became Emanuel. The message of Christ is light and peace and joy!
But still there is this nagging feeling and question: yes, but it's not just a message and it doesn't mean anything if this message doesn't push us into actions to share this in a world steeped in suffering and darkness.
So I will continue to quilt and use my gifts to shine light into the dark places, wherever I can help. I will seek out places where I can listen to the stories of the suffering and voiceless. I will hug and comfort those who are mourning through my quilts.

Connecting the dots

I walked into the Lego store with my eldest son yesterday! He's 21 in a few weeks but Lego still has an attraction to both of us. I always threatened to vacuum up the pieces if it wasn't cleaned from the floor, but never could go through with it because each little block is precious, when you want to build something.
When I started quilting I would keep every little scrap and bit, because you never know, you may need it later! As the years went by I strayed from that notion a bit and will only keep pieces that are at least 1" by 4". There's a fine line between "hoarding" and "saving for later".......

 

I went into a scrap bag and found this little square already made with blue polkadots. I went through the whole bag and found enough scraps to make 8 squares in total. The next day I went to all the fabric stores to find matching material, because you'll never find enough scraps of the same material to make a whole quilt (Murphy's law for quilters). Of course I couldn't find that print anymore, so had to become creative and find alternative fabric.
The moral of the story I haven't quite figured out.
- One little thing can send you on a goose chase and you waste a lot of time?
- it's important to keep notes of which fabric you bought when and where?
- Always keep enough scraps to make a whole quilt?
- Every little scrap counts and with an open mind and creativity anything can turn out beautiful?

God send us a little baby to start with. What we do with him is up to us!

Lost & found

The block pattern of this quilt is called "lost nine patch". You sew a nine patch and then you slice it crosswise and then rearrange the blocks to this stunning result. I called this quilt "lost daffodils".
I remember playing hide and seek and the disappointment of not being found. It's funny that we want to find a hiding place that won't be found, but deep inside we all want to be found.
 I've come to realize that feeling lost isn't necessarily a bad thing. It stirs my creative juices and I learn to think outside of the box, just as God was thinking outside of the box.This advent I was reminded of God's playfulness and creativity in finding a "lost" world. He took an ordinary family with an ordinary baby. But by putting a cross through the middle he rearranged everything and the end result is stunning too!

How silently, how silently this wondrous gift is given
So God imparts in human hearts the blessing of his heaven
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in

The big picture

I'm just back from a trip to Rwanda. We listened to the stories of women affected by war and HIV/Aids. Not very pretty stories and it broke my heart to imagine what these women went through. Yet in sharing their stories I sensed a strong sense of hope and joy. Through counselling and learning to rebuild their lives through education and job security, these women have become strong leaders in their families and communities. Beauty has risen from the ashes!
I never liked to use black in my quilts, but I have learned that sometimes black is the best colour to offset colourful fabrics. Somehow the dark seems to accentuate the colours, makes them stronger.
We shouldn't fight or ignore the pain and the horror of real life. We shouldn't focus solely on those times or the good times either. Even in dark times there are little sparks of hope and joy. When you look at the big picture you see that they need each other and even bring out the beauty and best in both.

Ramblings on Home

A home takes many shapes and sizes. I've called many places "home" over the years. I have felt "home" in many countries but it is always great to be able to come home to Calgary and my family. And yet I keep on looking for a place to feel home, a sense of restlessness is always there. One of the old saints has said: " our hearts are restless until they find rest in God". We may have a physical home and still feel not home.
Whenever I travel and stay at another place I have to make that place home by unpacking my suitcase and putting my PJ's on the bed.
Guess what, my favourite quilt block is the log cabin. It's a very versatile block and it changes with whatever colour and strip width or setting you choose. You can see some different quilts I've done with this simple block.

Home is where the heart is
When I loose my heart
I can't be home
I'm searching, wandering
No solid ground
Until I find my heart again.
--------------
My heart, Immanuel
Who calls me to follow
And go where he calls me
Calling me home.
--------------
Travelling away from home
Where do I go, where will I be
When we stay where we are
We won't have a home.

Blue Christmas



Yule logs

At home in the tulips

Log Wreath

The leaf doesn't fall far from the log

Tree log

Heart log

Letting go & discipline

Discipline is an act of the will but through perseverance it becomes an act of the heart and brings freedom.

Before I learned the rules of quilting I just cut and sewed as I thought I was supposed to. The result was a lot of "un-sewing" , re-sizing and waste of material. I was never sure if my blocks would match and what the end result would be.
Then I learned about 1/4" seems and how to properly iron and use the rotary cutter! These rules of quilting made the piecing and matching a breeze and quilting became my greatest joy. I could just sew and know that everything would fit perfectly together. It gave me the freedom to enjoy the process and know that the end result would be good.
In real life rules and laws are seen as a restriction of our free will and right to make our own choices.
I have found that in letting go of my free choice, by choosing to follow God's rule I have gained a greater freedom and enjoyment of life. And as in quilting, when I follow a few simple rules I know that the end result will be good. When we let go of the things that hold us, we are free to follow the path that we were meant to follow. And there is much beauty in the act of letting go! Just look at the trees and the colours of Fall.

Metaphors and symbols

The longer I live and learn the more I see the world in metaphors. I don't know if it's just my creative mind or if others have this experience as well. I've always been fascinated by symbols. I even created a card game with all the Christian/church symbols for one of my confirmation classes with teens. They say a picture says a thousand words and maybe I'm too much influenced by comics and studying symbols but my brain is always trying to interpret the things I see around me or the things that are happening in my life.
Maybe I've never grown out of the toddler stage of asking "Why?" or maybe God wants us to ask this question from Him? Maybe it's the curious eternal student in me that wants to know how things work or fit together.
Anyway when I design quilt patterns I often use symbols, as many of the old block designs were meant to be. Look at this little quilt I made some years ago

As you look at each block or strip, they are different symbols for my heritage. The red, white and blue are the colours of the Dutch flag, which you see in the bottom block as well. The maple leaf is a symbol for Canada, and the center block is a log cabin. My home is between two countries and I call them both home. The side borders are flying geese, a symbol again for Canada, but also for me moving around a lot and travelling around the world. The bottom border of little houses stands for having a home wherever I am, as well as the typical Dutch row houses with red roofs.



When I made a trip to Bolivia I used these ideas and adapted them to that country. You get the idea.

Scripture tells us in Genesis that we are the "imago Dei" or image of God. Everything in creation is a reflection of who God is and if we look around us we can find God in people, in nature, even in situations we don't understand. So maybe my search for understanding and interpreting symbols around me is at the deepest level a search for God? And my excitement to share what I've found and discovered is a reflection of His joy for us when we discover Him in the clues he has given us?

Labyrinth walk

      

Labyrinth

 

Walking the pathway

One step at a time

Father, God guide me

As I walk through this life

 

Hurry, hurry, get to the goal

Am I there yet?

Going, going everywhere

Too busy to stop and listen

 

Centered I pause and wonder "Why?"

be still and know.......

I created a path for you

Walk it, notice, learn

 

So I walk, pay attention

Coloured leaves falling gently

Feather, fur, flower, twig

The sun getting warmer

 

As I walk the pathway

One step at a time

Father God guiding me

I discover peace and joy.

Ever start a project and then you misplace it and it's lost for a awhile?
About 2 years ago I lost my blog and it was too much trouble to regain it again, so I started a new one with a different name, but the same ideas.
Sometimes we get sidetracked by life and we loose our focus. If you've ever been to a quilter's work room you'll know that it can be a "black hole", as my loving husband calls my room. Sometimes I think I bought a fat quarter would fit perfectly in the quilt I'm working on and I can't find it anymore. if I still can't find it after going through all my drawers of fabric I typically find something else that will work. Sometimes I do find the piece after I've used the replacement. The end result is still beautiful and sometimes unexpected.
Life is like that too, sometimes we get lost or we loose something and have to think outside of the box to get the desired result. for creative thinkers that is the challenges they live on. For those not gifted that way it can be a real challenge, but most of the times it turns out OK for them as well. Sometimes our life GPS-es are stuck on auto pilot and we need a challenge to recalculate and re-vision our journey. I think this is a positive thing......